Showing results by narrator "Hollis McCarthy" in All Categories

Caina Amalas is a Ghost circlemaster, leader of the Emperor's spies in Istarinmul. Yet the people of Istarinmul know her as the Balarigar, the daring master thief who challenged the corrupt lords and cruel princes of the city. And now Grand Master Callatas, the most powerful sorcerer of Istarinmul, wants her dead, and without allies Caina will not survive. So when a legendary thief offers Caina a chance to rob Callatas himself, she has no choice but to join the venture. But no one has ever escaped the dark perils of Callatas' Maze...

Murder hits a little too close to home for bakery owner Lexy Baker when a grim discovery is made in Jack's - her homicide detective husband - basement. With Jack as the main suspect, Lexy has to turn up the heat and find the real killer while still trying to whip up the perfect meringue cookie recipe for the Brook Ridge Falls Desserts contest.

It's been several months since Rory left her old life behind to move to her family's magical library in the coastal town of Ivory Beach. When her best friend from back home gets in touch, she can't wait to introduce her to her new family - even if she can't share the truth of the magical world with an outsider. When a vampire shows up dead near her home while she's gone, however, Rory finds herself staring down a more unwelcome part of her history - the group of sinister vampires who've made it their goal to get their hands on Rory's late father's journal.

A gripping and empathetic work of reportage, Free reveals what awaits them and the hundreds of thousands of others who are released from prison every year: the first rush of freedom followed quickly by institutionalized obstacles and logistical roadblocks, grinding bureaucracies, lack of resources, societal stigmas and damning self-perceptions, and the sometimes overwhelming psychological challenges. Veteran reporter Lauren Kessler, both clear-eyed and compassionate, follows six people whose diverse stories paint an intimate portrait of struggle, persistence, and resilience.

Since leaving the Army six months ago, Izzy Rivera has closed herself off from everyone and everything. Struggling with a debilitating case of PTSD, she has been fired from three jobs and was recently arrested for assault. Her last hope is a rehab program for veterans on Heron Island, which she was admitted to on a probationary basis and which she must complete to stay out of jail.

The Brook Ridge Falls Retirement Center is still reeling over the death of one of their own, when Lexy and her senior detective friends are asked to investigate another murder. Muriel Maguire insists that her grandson Henry has been framed for the murder of his wife, but the clues all point to Henry, and the police already have him in custody.

A single mom - and her twin babies! - are snowbound with the boss. Can they melt his frozen heart? When Tessa Randall sues CEO Dragan Markovic's company for unfair termination, he insists on hearing her side of the story. But the billionaire known as The Dragon gets more than he bargained for when he's stranded at his snowy Alaskan lodge with Tessa and her twin toddlers. Now the flame-haired beauty wants to uncover his story.

Life is good for Rory Hawthorn. She's progressing well in her magical lessons, and is also finally unearthing her father's long-kept secrets. If not for the Grim Reaper trying to interfere in her love life, things would be perfect. Until the Grim Reaper goes missing, at the same time as a lethal curse is set loose in Ivory Beach, which leaves even Rory's family stumped.

In prose vibrant and witty, The Queen of the Tambourine traces the emotional breakdown - and eventual restoration - of Eliza Peabody, a smart and wildly imaginative woman who has become unbearably isolated in her prosperous London neighborhood. Eliza must reach the depths of her downward spiral before she can once again find health and serenity. This story of a woman's confrontation with the realities of sanity will delight listeners who enjoy the works of Anita Brookner, Sybille Bedford, Muriel Spark, and Sylvia Plath. Winner of the Whitbread Prize for Best Novel of the Year.

Some friendships are meant to last forever. Nicknamed the four musketeers since they met freshman year of college, Anna, Kat, Erin and Barbara's friendship spans over fifteen years. Known as the tough one, Anna's only dream was to escape her mother's kitchen by setting the fashion world on fire. An ambitious executive for one of New York's oldest department stores and engaged to an up-and-coming politician from an affluent old school family, her life's dream seems to be coming true until Barbara and her husband are in a car crash sending Anna's world into a tailspin.

Brook Ridge Falls' favorite bakery owner, Lexy Baker, has everything she ever wanted. A new husband she adores. A thriving bakery business. Everything is going great.... Until a new bakery springs up across the street and tries every trick in the book to put her out of business! Lexy smells something rotten about the bakery, and it isn’t just their stale brownies. When her own bakery is broken into, she knows who did it...but what she can’t figure out is why. Could the new baker be after her great-grandmothers prize winning scone recipe, or is there another more sinister reason?

When her life is torn apart by sorcery and murder, young Caina Amalas joins the Ghosts, the legendary spies and assassins of the emperor of Nighmar. She learns the secrets of disguise and stealth, of assassination and infiltration. But even that might not be enough to save her. For the evil that destroyed her family seeks to devour the entire world....

I’m Dove Agnew and I was settling into a routine of working at my mom’s quilt shop in the sleepy town of Harland Creek. Just my luck, on the one day I go back to church, there’s a dead body in the baptismal. It’s not just anyone, it’s Pastor John’s sister, Eleanor Simmons!

When a sudden snowstorm blankets the quaint town of Harland Creek, I, Dove Agnew, and my spirited band of geriatric quilters find ourselves in the midst of a chilling mystery. The cozy calm is shattered when I stumble upon a corpse in Weenie Dunst's kitchen. The quirky, yet beloved, Weenie becomes the prime suspect, and it's up to the Harland Creek Mystery Quilters to clear her name.

Caina faces a new enemy - the insidious serpent men and their mysterious Cult of Rhadamathar. Already they are working to incite war and spread chaos, both within and without the Empire. So when the ruler of Istarinmul asks Caina to discover why the Cult tried to assassinate his pregnant wife, Caina has no choice but to agree.

With summer on the way, Rory is looking forward to relaxing at the beach between her latest set of magical exams. A mysterious beast appearing from the sea and terrifying everyone was not part of her plan. Rory's cousin Cass, who responds to anything involving magical beasts by instantly making friends with it, is the first to take an interest. But this beastie seems to have no intention of playing nice, and between her cousin's antics and Aunt Candace's unending hunt for a good story, Rory has her hands full trying to stop her relatives from running headlong into danger.

My name is Nadia, and I’m an errand girl. Except my boss is the High Queen of the Elves. And my errands for her involve spying on people. Or stealing things. Or hunting down monsters. Or, on occasion, killing people. But this time she wants me to solve a murder. And unless I find the killer, I’m going to be his next target...because dragons never forgive a murder.

Rory and her magical family have been through their fair share of tribulations. The sudden reappearance of a hidden corridor in the library has unleashed a series of baffling riddles left by the library’s creator, but Rory’s deceased grandmother’s motives are as shrouded in mystery as ever.

One magical summer, Megan Hallberg met - and loved - Prince Stefano Barrali. But his royal duties took him home, and when she discovered she carried his child, she also discovered he was engaged...to a beautiful, worldly aristocrat.

Aspiring chef Sarah Thomas isn't a very good liar, but when the opportunity to compete in a prestigious culinary contest presents itself, she jumps at the chance. Too bad the opportunity involves a whopper of a lie. She has to pretend to be engaged to playboy restauranteur Raffe Washburn.